Ferrite-gold magnetoplasmonic nanohybrids for bimodal heating by magnetic hyperthermia and photothermia

Nanosized systems such as ferrite spinel and gold nanoparticles are notable for their magnetic and plasmonic properties, respectively, which make them useful for several applications. Attempts to combine these properties into one single nanostructure or to amplify them by synergistic effects have led to the development of a new class of multifunctional nanoparticles called magnetoplasmonic nanohybrids. In most cases, these are used in biomedical applications, sensing, or catalysis. In this chapter, ferrite nanoparticles syntheses, magnetic hyperthermia (MHT), plasmonic properties, and photothermia (PT) will be introduced. Then the syntheses of ferrite-gold-based nanohybrids that are optimized for bimodal heating in MHT and PT will be presented and discussed. We found that only magnetite-based or maghemite-gold-based hybrids are described in the literature, so improvement and progress are still needed.